The day drags from there. Hair and makeup seem to take twice as long as normal. I’m too nervous to eat, and argue with Hadley who insists I need to force something down. I keep checking Viv’s e-mail for a reply from Sam and my phone for an update from Oliver. Nothing. How could a day that was exploding with promise a few hours ago now feel drawn out and tedious? I go onstage in an hour and still no word from Oliver.
After grabbing a snack from catering to make Hadley happy, I weave my way back to my dressing room, hoping to meditate and clear my head before call-time. No new messages when I check Viv’s e-mail on my way through the door. I nearly drop my plate when I look up.
“You’re here!” I cry, setting it on a table by the door and rushing toward my beautiful, amazing boyfriend.
Oliver grins and catches me in his arms. “I promised I would be, didn’t I?” he teases, and I pull him tighter.
“I can’t even tell you how happy I am right now. I’ve fantasized about this moment for so long,” I murmur, breathing him in. Ah, he smells like him, freshly showered and… wait. I glance up, pulling back to study his face. “You’re smiling. Does that mean…?”
His gaze shifts slightly, and my stomach drops. “No. I’m smiling because I’m with you. I wasn’t cleared to skate, though. They said I’ve come a long way, but not enough. I have to give it another month.”
“Oh, Oliver, no! I’m so sorry.” He must be devastated. I reach up, scared for him as I touch his cheek.
His smile falters for a second before his eyes clear and he focuses back on me. “Yeah, it sucks.”
“What are you going to do?”
“What do you mean?” He shrugs. “I go back to work tomorrow and start again.”
I stare at him in awe. He means it too. Maybe he’s disappointed, but there’s no hint of bitterness or resentment on his face. No, the man who taught me how to fall has also taught me how to climb.
“You’re incredible, you know that?” I ask, slipping my arms around his neck. I can fix my lip gloss later. For now, I need to ruin it on him.
“Yeah? How incredible?” he says, giving me a sly look when I pull back to see him.
“So much so that I have a surprise for you.”
His brows lift as he smiles down at me. “Is that so? Is this the exciting news you texted me about?”
“Oh! No. That’s something else. You’ll have to wait and see for this surprise. But for now, you’ll never guess who contacted Viv about a potential opportunity.”
For the next half hour, I tell him all about the exchange with Joel, then Sam. As expected, Oliver is just as happy for me as I was, if not more so. He’s also plenty smug over it all, and I have to suffer through several cocky smirks and I-told-you-sos. Oh well, he kind of did, and maybe my stubborn brain is starting to get it too.
But as always, my time with him is too short. Not enough words, or kisses, or touches, but then, I’m not sure I’d ever be satisfied. At least today when I get the warning call to go to the stage, he goes with me. I love holding his hand as we follow security through the dimly lit maze, and I keep glancing back as if I’ll suddenly wake up from a dream to find myself alone again. No Oliver. No Viv. No hard choices that once seemed impossible, but have now become unchecked promise.
“You can stay here the whole time. It’s a decent view for most of the performance,” I tell him as we hover offstage. He nods while the intro music blares, already mesmerized by everything around him. I can only imagine what this must feel like for him and love experiencing my world through his eyes. He makes it special and new for me, and for the first time in a long time, I’m excited to take the stage. With a huge grin, I pull his head down for one last kiss, lingering to breathe him in. “I love you,” I whisper.
“I love you too,” he says, warm brown eyes alive and glowing. “You’re a badass, Genevieve Viv Fox Hastings.”
I laugh and force myself to let go. We have forever.
For now, I begin the end.
Throughout the show, I cast plenty of looks toward the left wing of the stage. He’s always there, right where he promised to be, and even though I can’t see his face clearly, I feel his support. His strength, his drive, his perseverance and belief radiate into the atmosphere around me, giving me an extra spark for what was already an explosive show. With everything riding on this Farewell Tour, we pulled out all the stops, and by the time we reach the mid-point of the set, the audience is as energized as I am.
“How you all doing tonight?” I call out, scanning the sea of faces in front of me. A loud cheer bursts out, just as the music starts to play under me. “So, I know you’re here to listen to some of your favorite songs, but I hope you don’t mind indulging me for a minute.” I grin as the audience quiets and I cast another long glance at the side of the stage. “You don’t mind if I sing a new song for you, do you?”
The building erupts, and I laugh into the mic on a boom stand. A tech hands me an acoustic guitar that I loop over my shoulder.
“I’ve spent my entire life unsure about who I was. I was so afraid to fail that I was often afraid to live. Anyone else ever feel that way?”
More cheers ring out, and I pull in a deep breath. “But then I met this incredible guy.” I laugh again through
